This invention relates to electrical connectors in general and more specifically to a quick change electrical coupling for use in a hostile environment such as may be encountered by logging instruments in an oil or gas well bore.
It is necessary, when connecting electrical instruments such as logging tools to be disposed in a well bore under high pressure and/or temperature and in the presence of corrosive fluids, to provide a leak-proof coupling which also ensures proper alignment of the pin and socket type connectors most often employed in such tools. However, such a coupling must also be relatively easy to couple and uncouple, and to withstand the rough treatment it may encounter on the floor of the drilling rig. Ideally, such a coupling is rugged, simple in design and requires a minimum of parts to assemble.
One connector for use in hostile environments is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,918, issued to Wayne L. Kerr on Mar. 6, 1973. This connector uses a radial protrusion on one portion of a coupling to mate with a radial recess on the interior of its cooperating portion. A seal against sea water or other moisture entry is provided by an O-ring, and the two portions of the connector are locked together with a pin-in-slot bayonet type coupling. While suitable, perhaps, for use on a rig floor or on a ship where the connector may be subjected to salt spray and high pressure water in the form of waves, the Kerr connector is totally unsuitable for undersea or well bore environments where pressures may be in the thousands of pounds per square inch.